It has been a big week full of many small and large successes and achievements. From securing more opportunities, delivering programmes, new promotions, finding the right staff, finding the right people to help support us, growing our community and seeing projects nearly completed. It has not been an easy journey getting to where I am today but now I understand more about why I've struggled. The things we really care about in life don’t come easy. It takes time, consistency, attention, resilience and more. Being a mum is my greatest gift but being a parent is not easy. I make a lot of mistakes and I don’t always know what to do. However, that is a part of the journey and everyday I try to reflect on what I can do today to be a better mum. I love storytelling and performing but I don’t always enjoy or like rehearsals. It can sometimes be draining, emotional and hard work. But, it helps me better prepare for the performance. Rehearsals help you fine tune and explore the work deeper.
Life does not come easy and the difficulties we encounter help us to grow in skills and knowledge. In this week's Blog, I wanted to share 6 of the biggest mistakes we make so many times while on the road to achieving goals and success in life.
Mistake number 1: They think people will support them
I learned that our closest and most beloved people in our lives will not always support us. We have an idea or a hope that we really want to do and we share it with the ones we love and sometimes, we receive negative response or lack of enthusiasm. Many years ago, this stopped me from trying before I even began. However, I continued regardless of their responses and thoughts and my goals have started to create traction and grow. Most of those people have begun supporting me; but I learned to believe in myself, be my biggest cheerleader and now I don’t need anyone's support. Also, when you start to grow and achieve your goals, there will be a lot of people who will get envious and jealous and will not be happy for you. Let that be an indication that you are doing well and that you are on the right track. My biggest tip is to identify those who support you the most so you can keep them close.
Mistake number 2: They try to multitask but never finish anything
I see a lot of people trying to do a lot of things all at once, myself included. I am definitely one of those who multitasks way too much. But I always ensure that I complete a lot of the things in all its entirety so I can then move on to the next thing. If you do little bits of everything but never complete anything, then all you have is a lot of things started but nothing completed. If you have to, start by focusing on just one thing until it is done then move on to the next.
Mistake number 3: Try to find the quick fix
Shiny object syndrome (SOS) is a real thing. This is the tendency to follow an idea or trend without first weighing its potential and as a result, get distracted from your current pursuit. Also chasing the quickest way to get there or make money doesn't work a lot of the time. I learned that sticking to one thing and working on it has increased my skills, my knowledge, my networks and helped me become an expert in those areas. If we are always chasing the easy and the quick fixes, then how will we improve? If quick fixes worked then more people would be successful.
Mistake number 4: Some people are not willing to struggle
They want everything to be easy and if it’s hard, they give up. I will openly admit I can be a big whinge because my journey has been a constant struggle. I have wanted to give up more times than I can remember. Some things I gave up on but there were certain things that I have always been drawn to continuing, so I did. I discovered that my consistency is now allowing me to see my growth. I learned not by choice but through experience that these struggles allow you to learn more about what you're doing. The pressure and struggles is where our biggest growth happens.
Mistake number 5: Blame others for their circumstances
I have had certain people in power block my initiatives and I have blamed them or others in the past, understandably. Over time, I've learned that there will be people that will sabotage you, speak ill of you and block your progress if they are the ones who can approve your initiative, etc. However, I have learned to finally overlook the word NO. I figured that I am either speaking to the wrong person, or have not sold the vision better or I need to find somewhere else to go and sell my dream, too. Blaming others will get you stuck in a rut.
Mistake number 6: Expect overnight success
The road and the journey to success is not easy. If you study the greats in history or anyone who is doing great work, or experts that have skills, it takes them years of practise, experience and time to hone those skills. Nothing we do is an overnight process. The journey can be long sometimes but it is in those long hours, days, week and years that we learn to improve or master what we do. Mastery takes years of work and experience.
Conclusion
Failure is all a part of the journey and the more I embrace it, the better I become. I have decided to be willing and open to failing publicly which has not been easy. So many people have judged me harshly and I have had to fail openly in front of large crowds of people. I have taken solace in the fact that I have to start somewhere and failure helps me improve. The journey to success is not a flat or straight road and we must be willing to forge ahead through the obstacles. The obstacles of people, the struggles of uncertainty, be consistent, take regular action, get clear on what we are doing and why and never give up. If we are willing to do all these, we will eventually see the momentum and traction of those actions - and they are called the fruits of our labour.
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